Abstract

Exercise capacity and exercise induced variations of blood pressure, heart rate and other hemodynamic parameters are the result of multifactorial mechanisms. Thus exercise testing must be integrated within a comprehensive and oriented approach at the individual level taking into account with special attention: (1) the genotypic phenotypic ability to aerobic and isometric exercise; (2) the protocol of exercising testing; (3) the underlying causal disease which puts its own seal in exercise test data. As a comparative non-invasive or invasive means to appraise the influence of drugs, surgery, physical training, or simply time on the course of cardiac failure, however, exercise testing appears a more sensitive approach than the resting examination, even sophisticated varations of which are too often not predictive but only of value in advanced and irreversible cardiac failure. Verf.-Referat